Nice joke, I really needed that on this snowy day.:dancingpa

 

That trip back to McCreary last year after West Jessamine is still stinging huh? No jokes here, just facts. Historically McCreary Central has struggled come big game time, why would not people bet against you guys? The big game has eluded you, those are the facts.

How good is McCreary?

 

Wel let put it this way they are anywhere between 1 and 3 in their region. Most likely the best team in their region. Depending on the Sweet Sixteen draw they could lose in the first round or if they get a draw like West Jessamine got last year they could make it to Saturday morning. Now as far as state wide they might be between 25-30, and thats not a knock on them by any means. They wouldnt be in the top 7 or 8 in the 7th and they probally wouldnt be in the top 5 in the 11th. Then you have other teams across the state such as GRC, Shelby Valley, and Holmes who are better overall then them. So like i said about 25-30.

That trip back to McCreary last year after West Jessamine is still stinging huh? No jokes here, just facts. Historically McCreary Central has struggled come big game time, why would not people bet against you guys? The big game has eluded you, those are the facts.

 

This is true, the last two years especially. Hopefully McCreary can be more prepared this year come March to go all the way. But, it still will not be an easy ride to the end.

How good is McCreary?

 

Wel let put it this way they are anywhere between 1 and 3 in their region. Most likely the best team in their region. Depending on the Sweet Sixteen draw they could lose in the first round or if they get a draw like West Jessamine got last year they could make it to Saturday morning. Now as far as state wide they might be between 25-30, and thats not a knock on them by any means. They wouldnt be in the top 7 or 8 in the 7th and they probally wouldnt be in the top 5 in the 11th. Then you have other teams across the state such as GRC, Shelby Valley, and Holmes who are better overall then them. So like i said about 25-30.

 

Exactly my point, some of the other regions are so stacked. It's really hard to rank high school basketball teams. No one really gets to see everyone.

Exactly my point, some of the other regions are so stacked. It's really hard to rank high school basketball teams. No one really gets to see everyone.

Do the wins against Seneca, Hazard, and Male in Lexington not show that they can compete with and beat some really talented teams from across the state. I think the top 20 rating is very well deserved at this point.

Is Mercer County ranked? If McCreary is ranked then Mercer should be ranked right above them as Mercer has already beaten McCreary and West Jessamine. I don't see why McCreary should be considered better than Mercer when Mercer has a similar overall record including a victory over McCreary.

Nevermind, Mercer has 5 losses. Disregard my last post.

That trip back to McCreary last year after West Jessamine is still stinging huh? No jokes here, just facts. Historically McCreary Central has struggled come big game time, why would not people bet against you guys? The big game has eluded you, those are the facts.

 

The question was how good is McCreary? Right now they are the clear cut number one team in the region. They did lose to Mercer early but if they can get the nerves behind them the region should be fairly easy to walk through. As far as at the end of the year, that could be a different story. But right now the are number in the region.

The question was how good is McCreary? Right now they are the clear cut number one team in the region. They did lose to Mercer early but if they can get the nerves behind them the region should be fairly easy to walk through. As far as at the end of the year, that could be a different story. But right now the are number in the region.

 

I couldn't disagree more. The 12th region will not be a cake walk. Mercer has already proven to be capable of beating McCreary(by 3 points, I was there). Wayne County then beat Mercer County(by 4 points). McCreary has beaten Wayne County(by 22 points!!!!). Both have beaten West Jessamine as has Lincoln County, but Lincoln County lost to East Jessamine(by 10 points!!!!!) who has already been beaten by West Jessamine by 17 points I think. I failed to mention other teams capable of beating these teams and they too will emerge, but the point of my post is to say that the 12th region is wide open. All the teams that make the tourney will be capable of winning it, just like West did last year.

I couldn't disagree more. The 12th region will not be a cake walk. Mercer has already proven to be capable of beating McCreary(by 3 points, I was there). Wayne County then beat Mercer County(by 4 points). McCreary has beaten Wayne County(by 22 points!!!!). Both have beaten West Jessamine as has Lincoln County, but Lincoln County lost to East Jessamine(by 10 points!!!!!) who has already been beaten by West Jessamine by 17 points I think. I failed to mention other teams capable of beating these teams and they too will emerge, but the point of my post is to say that the 12th region is wide open. All the teams that make the tourney will be capable of winning it, just like West did last year.

I do think McCreay is the best team in the region right now, on Dec. 1st they were not. You are 100% correct on the region being wide open come tournament time. When you are dealing with high school kids many factors come into play and anything can happen in high school sports.

I couldn't disagree more. The 12th region will not be a cake walk. Mercer has already proven to be capable of beating McCreary(by 3 points, I was there). Wayne County then beat Mercer County(by 4 points). McCreary has beaten Wayne County(by 22 points!!!!). Both have beaten West Jessamine as has Lincoln County, but Lincoln County lost to East Jessamine(by 10 points!!!!!) who has already been beaten by West Jessamine by 17 points I think. I failed to mention other teams capable of beating these teams and they too will emerge, but the point of my post is to say that the 12th region is wide open. All the teams that make the tourney will be capable of winning it, just like West did last year.

 

But like what has been said, I am wondering about right now. McCreary started out 0-2, with the very first game of the season against Mercer. The team wasn't in shape (Watts and Roark were big on the football scene - but the same can be said about Mercer, I assume). Mercer also proved they were good early last season as they took McCreary to two overtimes in Stearns.

 

Perhaps Mercer has their number, or perhaps Mercer starts out strong and then fades.

 

I think in last seasons region tournament, Lincoln County had the mental edge on everyone. McCreary steamrolled East Jessamine and had an extremely hard fought and emotion win against Lincoln. On the opposite end, West walked through their side and had not just spent all of their energy in their previous matchup. A couple of questionable calls under the basket secured the win for West.

 

I think McCreary finally got the monkey off their back last season by finally winning the district (the first time since 1990) even though they probably had the best team the past five seasons.

 

Additionally, the years prior to last, McCreary had a cupcake packed schedule that they ran over. Last season, they beefed up their schedule including hosting J-Town and just falling by 13. Again this year, the Raiders have improved their schedule with the likes of Seneca, Male, LexCath, Scott County and others while basically losing nothing from last seasons squad - there aren't many 12th Region teams that can say the same.

But like what has been said, I am wondering about right now. McCreary started out 0-2, with the very first game of the season against Mercer. The team wasn't in shape (Watts and Roark were big on the football scene - but the same can be said about Mercer, I assume). Mercer also proved they were good early last season as they took McCreary to two overtimes in Stearns.

 

Perhaps Mercer has their number, or perhaps Mercer starts out strong and then fades.

 

I think in last seasons region tournament, Lincoln County had the mental edge on everyone. McCreary steamrolled East Jessamine and had an extremely hard fought and emotion win against Lincoln. On the opposite end, West walked through their side and had not just spent all of their energy in their previous matchup. A couple of questionable calls under the basket secured the win for West.

 

I think McCreary finally got the monkey off their back last season by finally winning the district (the first time since 1990) even though they probably had the best team the past five seasons.

 

Additionally, the years prior to last, McCreary had a cupcake packed schedule that they ran over. Last season, they beefed up their schedule including hosting J-Town and just falling by 13. Again this year, the Raiders have improved their schedule with the likes of Seneca, Male, LexCath, Scott County and others while basically losing nothing from last seasons squad - there aren't many 12th Region teams that can say the same.

 

Well said :clap:

I believe they should be ranked, but it all comes down to post-season play. Rankings don't mean a darn thing when you can't win the big game come March and until McCreary proves that, they are not the team to beat in the 12th.

I believe they should be ranked, but it all comes down to post-season play. Rankings don't mean a darn thing when you can't win the big game come March and until McCreary proves that, they are not the team to beat in the 12th.

 

Who is?

There isn't a favorite. There isn't a written rule where you have to have a favorite. Maybe they are ONE OF THE favorites, but no, McCreary Central isn't THE favorite.